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Talk:Psychosynthesis
This section (which I have moved from the article) is interesting; but, although Assagioli was familiar with Tantra, there is no reason to think it was his model for Psychosynthesis. Malcolmschosha 20:38, 24 November 2007 (UTC) Transpersonal consciousness The second path, that of Tantra, is achieved by disidentification technique aiming to isolate the "I", empower it by activating its most essential attribute, will, and with this new, enriched and more efficient "I", mould the psyche and ascend the ladder of more and more heightened awareness, with the final goal of blending "I" with the source, the Higher Self. In contrast to the Zen or Jungian approaches, it is an "activistic" one, projecting the "I" into a variety of states of mind/psyche. In Buddhist Tantricism there is a technique of identifying the dis-identified principle of consciousness/"I" with the multitude of real or imagined objects (heart of guru; identifying with Boddhisattva of, say, compassion; entering the yantra/mandala signifying some aspect of Trikaya/Buddha Nature ). This is similar to Assagiolian Psychosynthesis. After achieving a degree of d-i and relatively balanced psyche in personal PS, the ascent of crystallized "I" begins, in course of which "I" controls, moulds and expands areas of awareness. On the way to & through the superconscious, the liberated "I" reshapes fields of conscious life, achieving a new position of center of conscious life and widening the channell through which the influx of spiritual energies feeds the psyche. The Assagiolian approach, as contrasted to orthodox ones ( Tibetan, Taoist, Shaivite,..) has a few novelties to offer: 1. It is free from culturally conditioned symbols (better, it uses them freely without being confined to a specific symbolism . 2. Its exercises are given in "distilled" form ( especially in "The Act of Will"), hence not burdened with extremely complex & superfluous visualisation trappings which impede the spiritual progress. 3. In the true Western fashion, Tranpersonal Self is not just the target of "I", the impersonal Self-it is the living source, the fount of symbols, messages and the guide. In this respect, Assagioli merges Eastern Tantric tradition ( disidentified "I" who becomes the chief actor of "projective" experiences of identification with various symbols of the superconscious/Bardo) and Western tradition of Higher Self as living guide (Inner God, Christ, Lapis).Also, Assagioli draws on wide field of experiential material of existential psychology ( Maslow, Frankl,..). Question/comment I agree that Assagioli may not have used this as his model of Psychosynthesis. Now, I am not nearly an expert in this area; I now very little about it. However, when I read some of the material on the external links in this article, there is mention of Tibetan, tantric, and other traditions. So, my question is, Is this article about Psychosynthesis generally, or primarily focused on the work of Dr. Assagioli? Perhaps another article linked to this one called, Psychosynthesis-other traditions could include this material and then be expanded by others who are more familiar with this subject. What do you think? Dr. Becker-Weidman Talk 20:56, 24 November 2007 (UTC) Assagioli was certainly interested in matters esoteric, but his connection was with Alice Bailey, not Tantra. He was very concerned to keep Psychosynthesis separate from Bailey's, or any other, esotericism. Part of that was because it was unnecessary for the application of Psychosynthesis and because he new that any such connection would discredit the value of Psychosynthesis for many who might benefit from it. And Bailey, in particular, was so controversial that he applied the principle he called "walls of silence". Malcolmschosha 17:33, 26 November 2007 (UTC) :Again, I am not very familiar with this subject, so would it be best to create a linked article titled something like, "Psychosynthesis-other traditions" that would connect with this one...several of the external links on this article seem to lead to discussions about these other traditions, such as Tantra. What do you suggest? Dr. Becker-Weidman Talk 19:55, 26 November 2007 (UTC) ::That could make an interesting article. I do not have the time, or inclination, even to do much work on the Psychosynthesis article, but will see if I can find someone else. Although Assagioli was my teacher, I developed major differences with the Alice Bailey aspect of it all. Malcolmschosha 21:58, 26 November 2007 (UTC) :::OK, I will create the new article. Dr. Becker-Weidman Talk 23:35, 26 November 2007 (UTC)